In wireless networks, mobile nodes (MNs) are assigned network addresses, which allow data to be transported and delivered to the customers. For example, the network addresses can be assigned according to the Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6) network layer protocol. The IPv6 network address may comprise a prefix that is about 64 bits in length and an interface identifier also that is about 64 bits in length. Typically, the interface identifier is created by the MN, while the prefix is assigned by the network, e.g. using a Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol version 6 (DHCPv6) server or an Authentication, Authorization, and Accounting (AAA) server.
Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) Request for Comments (RFC) 4968 provides different IPv6 link models and provides analysis of various considerations for each link model and the applicability of each link model under different deployment scenarios. For example, the link models can be used for networks based on the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) standard 802.16e for Wireless Broadband. For IPv6 addressing, a shared link model can be used, where an IPv6 prefix is shared by multiple MNs. Alternatively, a point-to-point link model can be used, where each prefix is assigned to a different MN, where different MNs cannot share a prefix but an MN can have multiple prefixes. The addressing and operation of IPv6 over the IPv6 specific part of the packet convergence sub-layer of IEEE 802.16e, where the point-to-point link model is recommended, is specified in RFC 5121. All of the above documents are incorporated herein by reference as if reproduced in their entirety.